Can emergency medical services find you?

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TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. - The difference between life and death many times is only a matter of seconds. To help Care Flight and other emergency medical providers find a patient in the fastest manner possible, it is important your home be visible and easy to locate.

Check your address numbers and see if they are visible from the street. If not, place or replace the numbers so ambulances or fire trucks can find you quickly in an emergency.

If you have a long driveway, place your house numbers at the end of the driveway so they are visible from each direction. Do not assume emergency vehicles will always approach your home from a certain direction. Many times we have to respond to emergencies while out on the road, or while returning from other emergency calls and may approach your house from an unexpected direction.

Please use numbers that are at least 3 inches in height and use a color that contrasts your trim or house color. Brass numbers look great but are very hard to see in the sunlight, and written numbers are hard to read at night. When placing numbers on your mailbox, place them so your mail flag does not block them.

Now that Care Flight is able to find you, can they get to you? Long driveways and private roads need to be cleared of brush, trees, stumps and rocks for an area 14 feet wide and 12 feet high to accommodate emergency vehicles. Tree limbs that hang down will damage the ambulances and fire trucks, as will brush on the sides of the roadway or driveway. Narrow access roads make it hard for vehicles to pass safely.